NASA's SDO Observes a Lunar Transit

On July 26, 2014, from 10:57 a.m. to 11:42 a.m. EDT, the moon crossed between NASA’s Solar Dynamics Observatory and the sun, a phenomenon called a lunar transit.

This happens approximately twice a year, causing a partial solar eclipse that can only be seen from SDO’s point of view. Images of the eclipse show a crisp lunar horizon, because the moon has no atmosphere that would distort light.

By blending different SDO wavelengths, we can get an enhanced image of the sun. The left image was taken in 304 wavelength, the middle in 171 wavelength, and the right shows the blended result. Image Credit: NASA/SDO

This animated gif shows the path of the moon across the Solar Dynamics Observatory's field of view for this lunar transit. Image Credit: NASA/SDO team